terriharris' Journey with Breast Cancer

Being 28 and a single mother, I was not ready to be told I had cancer.

I had the lumpectomy and was in the hospital over night and went home the next day. I had surgery on Thursday and went back to work on Monday with drainage tubes coming out of me. I had to work, I had to support my children. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and had the drains removed and the staples taken out of my breast.

I was told that if my cancer fit into certain peramaters that I may not have to have chemo. My tumor had to be estrogen positive, I had to have no lymph nodes involved.

I had to make a decision. I could enter the protocol and not have the chemo and just have the radiation, and be watched for 10 years, or just opt to have the chemo and radiation. It was my choice.

I met all the protocol peramaters and i opted to bow out on the chemo.

i had cobalt radiation and I was told that i would get a possible sun burn. I had all my skin burnt off of my skin on the breast I had cancer in. It was one of the most painful things I have gone through. They had to stop the radiation to let me rest and heal some.

I was told I could possibly get tired and they took my blood every monday to make sure my blood cells didn't drop too low. Boy was I ever tired,

None.

I was in a 2 year relationship with a man who had lost his father to cancer. And when I told him that the doctor told me I had cancer, he told me he couldn't handle it and he broke off the love I thought he felt for me. I guess he did me a favor, who wants to be with someone who can't handle it when you get sick? I did meet a beautiful man right after I broke up with him and this man wanted to go to all the doctors appointments and radiation appointments with me. He blew me away. I was not used to having support like that. He just made me see that there are men out there in the world who are decent and who can stand up and be superman for you.

I celebrate every year, every year is another I have lived that the cancer has not come back or spread to anywhere in my body.